Ganesh festival: BMC collects 508 tonnes of floral offerings in post-immersion drive

Mumbai, Sep 7 (PTI) The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has collected 508 tonnes of 'nirmalya' (floral offerings) from natural water bodies and more than 290 artificial ponds following the immersion of idols of Lord Ganesh and goddess Gauri.

The BMC launched a large-scale cleaning operation across beaches and other sites after the 11-day festival concluded with Anant Chaturdashi, a day before.

Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's wife Amruta Fadnavis, and civic chief Bhushan Gagrani joined the special cleanliness drive at the famous Juhu beach.

As part of the post-Ganpati festival drive, the civic body has collected 508 metric tonnes of 'nirmalya' (floral offerings) from natural water bodies and more than 290 artificial ponds set up across the city, according to a release issued by the BMC on Sunday evening.

According to BMC, 1,97,114 Ganesh idols were immersed during the 11-day festival, including 1,81,375 household idols, 10,148 public mandal idols, and 5,591 idols of Gauri and Hartalika.

Of them, the maximum 60,434 idols were immersed after one and a half days of the festival, 40,230 on the fifth day, 59,704 on the seventh day, and 36,746 on the last day of the festival.

Of the 36,746 idols immersed on the last day, 5,937 were of Sarvajanik Mandals, 30,490 of household Ganesh, and 319 were of goddess Gauri, the BMC said.

The immersion process was carried out smoothly owing to detailed planning, coordination with the Mumbai Police and other government agencies, and cooperation from Ganesh devotees and citizens, the release claimed.

The civic body had promoted the use of artificial ponds for idol immersions, and Mumbai residents responded positively to the awareness campaigns, opting in greater numbers for eco-friendly immersion, it said. PTI KK NSK BNM